Legal claims defining the scope of protection. Each claim is shown in both the original legal language and a plain English translation.
1. A control device on a software-defined network (SDN), wherein the control device comprises: a service processing module; an event distributor; and a device object generating module, wherein the service processing module comprises a first application program processing module, wherein the event distributor is configured to: receive an event generated by the device object generating module, wherein the event comprises an event header and an event body, wherein the event header stores common information of the event in a form of a key-value pair, wherein the common information is specific information that is part of all events, and wherein the event body stores attribute information of the event in a form of a key-value pair; process the event in a preset order using a first workflow that comprises at least two event processing nodes; and send a processed event to the first application program processing module using a first event processing node, wherein the first workflow is created according to an instruction of the first application program processing module, wherein the first application program processing module is configured to: receive the event sent by the event distributor; and process the event according to a preset rule; wherein the device object generating module is configured to: receive status change information sent by a network device; generate the event according to the status change information; and send the event to the event distributor; and wherein the service processing module, the event distributor, and the device object generating module are software.
A control device within a Software-Defined Network (SDN) manages network events. It comprises a device object generator (receives network device status changes, creates events with headers (common info as key-value pairs) and bodies (attribute info as key-value pairs), sends events), an event distributor (processes events using a configurable workflow of processing nodes, sends processed events to application programs), and a service processing module (contains application programs that receive and process events based on predefined rules). The workflow is dynamically created based on instructions from an application program within the service processing module. All components are implemented in software.
2. The control device on an SDN according to claim 1 , wherein the service processing module further comprises a second application program processing module, and wherein, after processing the received event according to the preset rule, the first application program processing module sends a processed event to the event distributor, and the event distributor sends the processed event to the second application program processing module using a second event processing node in the first workflow, so that the second application program processing module processes the processed event according to a preset rule, wherein the second event processing node is created in the first workflow by the event distributor according to an instruction of the second application program processing module.
In the SDN control device, described in claim 1, the service processing module includes a second application program. After the first application program processes an event, it sends the result back to the event distributor. The distributor then uses another processing node within the original workflow to route the result to the second application program for further processing based on its own preset rules. This second processing node is dynamically created by the event distributor based on the requirements of the second application. The whole flow allows chaining application logic for event processing.
3. The control device on an SDN according to claim 1 , wherein the service processing module further comprises a second application program processing module, and wherein, after processing the received event according to the preset rule, the first application program processing module sends a processed event to the event distributor, and the event distribution sends the processed event to the second application program processing module using a second event processing node in a second workflow, so that the second application program processing module processes the event according to a preset rule, wherein the second workflow is created by the event distributor according to an instruction of the second application program processing module.
Similar to claim 2, this SDN control device has a second application program in the service processing module. The first application program, after its initial processing, sends the event back to the event distributor. However, instead of using the original workflow, the event distributor routes the processed event to the second application program using a *separate*, independently created workflow. This second workflow contains a processing node specifically designed to interface with the second application program. The second workflow is created by the event distributor based on instructions from the second application.
4. The control device on an SDN according to claim 3 , wherein the event distributor further comprises a workflow management module, and wherein the workflow management module is configured to: create the first workflow according to the instruction of the first application program processing module; or create the second workflow according to the instruction of the second application program processing module.
The SDN control device described in claim 3 includes a workflow management module within the event distributor. This module is responsible for creating and managing the event processing workflows. It can create the initial workflow according to instructions received from the first application program, or it can independently create a second workflow based on instructions from the second application program. This allows each application to define its own specific event processing pipeline.
5. The control device on an SDN according to claim 1 , wherein the event processing nodes in the first workflow comprise a root node and an application node, wherein the root node is configured to: receive the event sent by the device object generating module; and send the event to another processing node in the first workflow, and wherein the application node is configured to send the event that is processed using the first workflow to the first application program processing module.
In the SDN control device from claim 1, the configurable workflow used by the event distributor includes at least two basic node types: a root node and an application node. The root node receives the raw event directly from the device object generator and forwards it to the next processing node in the workflow. The application node is the final node in the workflow; it takes the fully processed event and delivers it to the appropriate application program in the service processing module.
6. The control device on an SDN according to claim 4 , wherein the event processing nodes in the first workflow further comprise a filter node, wherein the filter node is configured to: set a filtering rule; match, according to the filtering rule, an event passing through the filter node; send the event to a subnode of the filter node in the first workflow when the event meets the filtering rule; and stop processing the event when the event does not meet the filtering rule.
The SDN control device described in claim 4 also incorporates a filter node within the event processing workflows. The filter node implements a filtering rule. When an event passes through the filter node, its attributes are checked against this rule. If the event matches the rule's criteria, it is forwarded to a subsequent node (subnode) in the workflow. If the event *doesn't* match the rule, processing stops, effectively dropping the event from further consideration.
7. The control device on an SDN according to claim 6 , wherein the filtering rule comprises a matching field, a value field, and an expression, wherein the matching field is used to set an object to which the filtering rule applies, wherein the value field is used to set a range of an attribute value corresponding to the matching field, and wherein the expression is used to set a logical relationship between the matching field and the value field.
The filter node described in claim 6 uses a filtering rule made of three parts: a "matching field" (specifies the event attribute to evaluate), a "value field" (sets the valid range or value for that attribute), and an "expression" (defines the logical relationship between the matching field and value field, such as equals, greater than, etc.). This allows fine-grained control over which events are allowed to progress through the workflow based on their specific attributes.
8. The control device on an SDN according to claim 5 , wherein the event processing nodes in the first workflow further comprise a preprocessor node, and wherein the preprocessor node is configured to preprocess an event, and add an event attribute by parsing information in the event.
The SDN control device from claim 5 includes a "preprocessor node" within the event processing workflow. The preprocessor node modifies the event by adding or changing attributes. It parses the existing information in the event and extracts new attributes, or modifies existing ones. This allows normalizing or enriching event data before it is processed by other nodes or delivered to application programs.
9. The control device on an SDN according to claim 5 , wherein at least two event processing nodes in the first workflow form a tree structure in which the even processing nodes are in sequence.
In the SDN control device from claim 5, the event processing nodes within the configurable workflow are arranged in a tree-like structure. This means the nodes are connected in a hierarchical sequence, where each node can have one or more child nodes. This tree structure allows for complex event processing flows, enabling different processing paths depending on the event's characteristics.
10. The control device on an SDN according to claim 1 , wherein the first event processing node comprises an event receiving module, a processing logic module, and a sending module, wherein the event receiving module is configured to receive an event from the device object generating module or another service processing node, wherein the processing logic module is configured to process, according to a preset rule, the event received by the event receiving module, and wherein the sending module is configured to send the event processed by the processing logic module to another node.
The "first event processing node" described in claim 1 contains three sub-modules: an event receiving module (accepts events from either the device object generator or another processing node), a processing logic module (applies pre-defined rules to process the event), and a sending module (forwards the processed event to another node). The specific processing logic is defined by the application that created the workflow.
11. The control device on an SDN according to claim 1 , wherein the common information comprises a source device identifier (ID) of the event or a type of the event.
In the SDN control device described in claim 1, the "common information" stored in the event header includes the originating device's identifier (ID) and/or the type of event. This information provides context about the event's source and nature, allowing for more efficient processing and routing.
12. The control device on an SDN according to claim 1 , wherein the event further comprises metadata, wherein the metadata comprises at least one record, wherein the record is used to store a log of processing on the event by the first application program processing module, or data of an update on a status of a switching device by the first application program processing module.
The SDN control device in claim 1 includes "metadata" within the event structure. This metadata consists of records that store processing logs from the first application program and/or data related to switch status updates made by the first application program. This provides a historical trace of the event's journey through the system and tracks actions taken based on the event.
13. An event distribution method on a software-defined network (SDN), wherein the method is applied to a control device that comprises a first application program processing module, an event distribution module, and a device object generating module, the event distribution method comprising: receiving, by the device object generating module, status change information sent by a network device; generating, by the device object generating module, an event according to the status change information, wherein the event comprises an event header and an event body, wherein the event header stores common information of the event in a form of a key-value pair, wherein the common information is specific information that is part of all events, and wherein the event body stores attribute information of the event in a form of a key-value pair; sending, by the device object generating module, the event to the event distribution module; processing, by the event distribution module, the event in a preset order using a first workflow that comprises at least two event processing nodes; sending, by the event distribution module, a processed event to the first application program processing module using a first application event processing node, wherein the first workflow is created according to an instruction of the first application program processing module; receiving, by the first application program processing module, the event sent by the event distribution module; and processing, by the first application program processing module, the event according to a preset rule.
An event distribution method in a Software-Defined Network (SDN) uses a control device. The device object generator receives network device status changes and creates corresponding events with headers (common info as key-value pairs) and bodies (attribute info as key-value pairs). The device object generator then sends the event to the event distributor, which uses a configurable workflow of processing nodes. The workflow is created by an application program. The distributor processes the event according to the workflow and delivers it to that application program for further processing based on its pre-defined rules.
14. The event distribution method on an SDN according to claim 13 , wherein the control device further comprises a second application program processing module, wherein, after processing the received event according to the preset rule, the first application program processing module sends a processed event to a service distribution module, wherein the event distribution module sends the processed event to the second application program processing module using a second event processing node in the first workflow, and wherein the second application program processing module processes the processed event according to a preset rule, wherein the second event processing node is created in the first workflow by the event distribution module according to an instruction of the second application program processing module.
Building on claim 13, this event distribution method includes a second application program. After the first application program processes an event, it sends the processed event back to the service distribution module. The event distributor then uses a second event processing node *within the same* workflow to route the event to the second application program. This second application program processes the event based on its own rules. The second event processing node is created at the instruction of the second application.
15. The event distribution method on an SDN according to claim 13 , wherein a service processing module further comprises a second application program processing module, wherein, after processing the received event according to the preset rule, the first application program processing module sends a processed event to a service distribution module, wherein the event distribution module sends the processed event to the second application program processing module using a second event processing node in a second workflow, and wherein the second application program processing module processes the event according to a preset rule, wherein the second workflow is created by the event distribution module according to an instruction of the second application program processing module.
Expanding on claim 13, this event distribution method also includes a second application program. However, after the first application program processes an event, it sends it back to the service distribution module. The event distributor then routes the event to the second application program using a *separate* event processing workflow. The second workflow is created by the event distributor based on an instruction from the second application.
16. The event distribution method on an SDN according to claim 13 , wherein the event processing nodes in the first workflow comprise a root node and an application node, wherein the root node is configured to receive the event sent by the device object generating module, and send the event to another processing node in the first workflow, and wherein the application node is configured to send the event that is processed using the first workflow to the first application program processing module.
Within the event distribution method from claim 13, the configurable workflow contains at least a root node and an application node. The root node receives the event directly from the device object generator and forwards it within the workflow. The application node sends the fully processed event to the intended application program.
17. The even distribution method on an SDN according to claim 16 , wherein the event processing nodes in the first workflow further comprise a filter node, wherein the filter node is configured to: set a filtering rule; match, according to the filtering rule, an event passing through the filter node; send the event to a subnode of the filter node in the first workflow when the event meets the filtering rule; and stop processing the event when the event does not meet the filtering rule.
The event distribution method from claim 16 incorporates a filter node within the workflow. The filter node uses filtering rules. When an event passes through the filter node, it is matched against the rule. If the event matches, it is forwarded to a subnode. If it *doesn't* match, processing stops.
18. The event distribution method on an SDN according to claim 17 , wherein the filtering rule comprises a matching field, a value field, and an expression, wherein the matching field is used to set an object to which the filtering rule applies, wherein the value field is used to set a range of an attribute value corresponding to the matching field, and wherein the expression is used to set a logical relationship between the matching field and the value field.
In the event distribution method of claim 17, the filter node's rule contains a "matching field" (specifies which attribute to evaluate), a "value field" (sets acceptable values), and an "expression" (defines the logical relationship between the matching field and the value field).
19. The event distribution method on an SDN according to claim 16 , wherein the event processing nodes in the first workflow further comprise a preprocessor node, and wherein the processor node is configured to preprocess an event, and add an event attribute by parsing information in the event.
The event distribution method from claim 16 utilizes a "preprocessor node". This node adds or modifies event attributes by parsing the existing information in the event.
20. The event distribution method on an SDN according to claim 16 , wherein at least two event processing nodes in the first workflow form a tree structure in which the event processing nodes are in sequence.
In the event distribution method from claim 16, the nodes are arranged in a tree structure to represent the workflow, in which the event processing nodes are in sequence.
21. The event distribution method on an SDN according to claim 13 , wherein the first event processing node comprises an event receiving module, a processing logic module, and a sending module, wherein the event receiving module is configured to receive an event from the device object generating module or another service processing node, wherein the processing logic module is configured to process, according to a preset rule, the event received by the event receiving module, and wherein the sending module is configured to send the event processed by the processing logic module to another node.
In the event distribution method described in claim 13, the first event processing node contains an event receiving module (gets events), a processing logic module (processes events based on defined rules), and a sending module (forwards the processed event).
22. The event distribution method on an SDN according to claim 13 , wherein the common information comprises a source device identifier (ID) of the event and/or a type of the event.
In the event distribution method from claim 13, the common information includes the source device identifier (ID) and/or the event type.
23. The event distribution method on an SDN according to claim 13 , wherein the event further comprises metadata, wherein the metadata comprises at least one record, wherein the record is used to store a log of processing on the event by the first application program processing module, or data of an update on a status of a switching device by the first application program processing module.
In the event distribution method from claim 13, the event contains metadata, which stores processing logs from the first application program, and/or data related to switch status updates performed by the application program.
24. A processor on a software-defined network (SDN), wherein the processor is located in a control device on the SDN, wherein the processor is hardware, and wherein the processor is configured to execute: a service processing module; an event distributor; and a device object generating module, wherein the service processing module comprises a first application program processing module, wherein the event distributor is configured to receive an event generated by the device object generating module, wherein the event comprises an event header and an event body, wherein the event header stores common information of the event in a form of a key-value pair, wherein the common information is specific information that is part of all events, wherein the event body stores attribute information of the event in a form of a key-value pair, process the event in a preset order using a first workflow that comprises at least two event processing nodes, and send a processed event to the first application program processing module using a first event processing node, wherein the first workflow is created according to an instruction of the first application program processing module, wherein the first application program processing module is configured to receive the event sent by the event distributor, and process the event according to a preset rule, wherein the device object generating module is configured to receive status change information sent by a network device, generate the event according to the status change information, and send the event to the event distributor, and wherein the service processing module, the event distributor, and the device object generating module are software.
A hardware processor, located within a control device in an SDN, executes software modules. These modules include a device object generator (receives network device status changes, creates events with headers (common info as key-value pairs) and bodies (attribute info as key-value pairs), sends events), an event distributor (processes events using a configurable workflow of processing nodes, sends processed events to application programs), and a service processing module (contains application programs that receive and process events based on predefined rules). The workflow is dynamically created based on instructions from an application program within the service processing module.
25. The processor on an SDN according to claim 24 , wherein the service processing module further comprises a second application program processing module, and wherein, after processing the received event according to the preset rule, the first application program processing module sends a processed event to the event distributor, and the event distributor sends the processed event to the second application program processing module using a second event processing node in the first workflow, so that the second application program processing module processes the processed event according to a preset rule, wherein the second event processing node is created in the first workflow by the event distributor according to an instruction of the second application program processing module.
In the SDN processor of claim 24, the service processing module contains a second application program. The first application program sends processed events back to the event distributor, which routes them to the second application using another processing node *within the same* workflow. The second application program processes the events according to its own rules, with the second event processing node being configured according to its instructions.
26. The processor on an SDN according to claim 24 , wherein the service processing module further comprises a second application program processing module, and wherein, after processing the received event according to the preset rule, the first application program processing module sends a processed event to a service distribution module, and wherein the event distributor sends the processed event to the second application program processing module using a second event processing node in a second workflow, so that the second application program processing module processes the event according to a preset rule, wherein the second workflow is created by the event distributor according to an instruction of the second application program processing module.
The SDN processor from claim 24 has a service processing module including a second application program. The first application program sends the event back to the service distribution module, then the event distributor routes the event to the second application using a *separate* workflow. The second workflow is created by the event distributor based on instructions from the second application.
27. The processor on an SDN according to claim 26 , wherein the event distributor further comprises a workflow management module, wherein the workflow management module is configured to create the first workflow according to the instruction of the first application program processing module; or create the second workflow according to the instruction of the second application program processing module.
The SDN processor described in claim 26 includes a workflow management module within the event distributor. This module can create either the first workflow (based on instructions from the first application) or the second workflow (based on instructions from the second application).
28. The processor on an SDN according to claim 24 , wherein the event processing nodes in the first workflow comprise a root node and an application node, wherein the root node is configured to receive the event sent by the device object generating module, and send the event to another processing node in the first workflow, and wherein the application node is configured to send the event that is processed using the first workflow to the first application program processing module.
In the SDN processor from claim 24, the configurable workflow contains a root node (receives events from the device object generator) and an application node (sends the processed event to the application program).
29. The processor on an SDN according to claim 28 , wherein the event processing nodes in the first workflow further comprise a filter node, wherein the filter node is configured to: set a filtering rule; match, according to the filtering rule, an event passing through the filter node; send the event to a subnode of the filter node in the first workflow when the event meets the filtering rule; and stop processing the event when the event does not meet the filtering rule.
In the SDN processor from claim 28, the configurable workflow also includes a filter node. The filter node applies filtering rules. If an event matches the rule, it's forwarded. If not, processing stops.
30. The processor on an SDN according to claim 29 , wherein the filtering rule comprises a matching field, a value field, and an expression, wherein the matching field is used to set an object to which the filtering rule applies, wherein the value field is used to set a range of an attribute value corresponding to the matching field, and wherein the expression is used to set a logical relationship between the matching field and the value field.
The SDN processor of claim 29's filter node rule includes a "matching field" (specifies the event attribute to evaluate), a "value field" (sets acceptable values for that attribute), and an "expression" (defines the logical relationship between the matching field and the value field).
31. The processor on an SDN according to claim 28 , wherein the event processing nodes in the first workflow further comprise a preprocessor node, wherein the preprocessor node is configured to preprocess an event, and add an event attribute by parsing information in the event.
The SDN processor described in claim 28 contains a preprocessor node that can add or modify event attributes by parsing existing information in the event.
32. The processor on an SDN according to claim 28 , wherein at least two event processing nodes in the first workflow form a tree structure in which the event processing nodes are in sequence.
In the SDN processor described in claim 28, the event processing nodes within the workflow form a tree structure where the processing nodes are in sequence.
33. The processor on an SDN according to claim 24 , wherein the first event processing node comprises an event receiving module, a processing logic module, and a sending module, wherein the event receiving module is configured to receive an event from the device object generating module or another service processing node, wherein the processing logic module is configured to process, according to a preset rule, the event received by the event receiving module, and wherein the sending module is configured to send the event processed by the processing logic module to another node.
The SDN processor from claim 24's first event processing node contains an event receiving module, a processing logic module (processes events according to rules), and a sending module (forwards the processed event).
34. The processor on an SDN according to claim 24 , wherein the common information comprises a source device identifier (ID) of the event and/or a type of the event.
In the SDN processor from claim 24, the common information includes the source device ID and/or the event type.
35. The processor on an SDN according to claim 24 , wherein the event further comprises metadata, wherein the metadata comprises at least one record, wherein the record is used to store a log of processing on the event by the first application program processing module, or data of an update on a status of a switching device by the first application program processing module.
In the SDN processor from claim 24, the event contains metadata, which stores processing logs from the first application program, and/or switch status updates.
36. A control device in a software-defined networking (SDN) network, the control device comprising: a device object generating module configured to: receive status change information from a network device, and generate an event according to the status change information, wherein the event comprises an event header and an event body, wherein the event header stores common information of the event in a form of a key-value pair, wherein the common information is specific information that is part of all events, and wherein the event body stores attribute information of the event in a form of a key-value pair; an event distributor comprising a first event processing node, comprising a second event processing node, and configured to: receive the event from the device object generating module, create a first workflow comprising at least the first event processing node and the second event processing node, process the event in a preset order using the first workflow to produce a processed event, and send the processed event using the first event processing node; and a service processing module configured to: generate an instruction for the event distributor to create the first workflow, receive the processed event from the first event processing node, and further process the processed event according to a preset rule, wherein the device object generating module, the event distributor, and the service processing module are software.
A control device in an SDN receives status updates from network devices and generates events containing a header (common information as key-value pairs) and a body (attribute information as key-value pairs). An event distributor creates a workflow with at least two processing nodes, processes the event according to this workflow, and sends the resulting processed event to a service processing module. The service processing module instructs the event distributor how to create the workflow, receives the processed event, and performs further processing based on its defined rules. All components are implemented in software.
37. A method implemented in a control device in a software-defined networking (SDN) network, the method comprising: receiving, by a device object generating module of the control device, status change information from a network device; generating, by the device object generating module, an event according to the status change information, wherein the event comprises an event header and an event body, wherein the event header stores common information of the event in a form of a key-value pair, wherein the common information is specific information that is part of all events, and wherein the event body stores attribute information of the event in a form of a key-value pair; receiving, by an event distributor of the control device, the event from the device object generating module; creating, by the event distributor and based on an instruction from a service processing module of the control device, a first workflow comprising at least a first event processing node and a second event processing node of the event distributor; processing, by the event distributor, the event in a preset order using the first workflow to produce a processed event; sending, by the event distributor, the processed event to the service processing module using the first event processing node; receiving, by the service processing module, the processed event from the first event processing node; and further processing, by the service processing module, the processed event according to a preset rule.
A method in a control device within a software-defined network (SDN): The device object generating module receives status change information from a network device. It generates an event with a header (common info as key-value pairs) and a body (attribute info as key-value pairs). The event distributor receives this event, and builds a workflow that contains at least two event processing nodes, based on instructions it received from a service processing module. The distributor processes the event, and sends the processed event to the service processing module. The service processing module receives the processed event and further processes it based on a preset rule.
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November 28, 2017
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